I can still smell the burnt coolant and hear the rhythmic, heavy chatter of a machine struggling against a dull bit from my days in the industrial shops. I remember a young apprentice back in ’84 who thought he could Continue reading Basic Lathe Operation and Safety
I was clearing out a neighbor’s garage last summer when I found a Lodge skillet buried under a pile of rusted garden tools, looking more like a hunk of scrap metal than something meant for a kitchen. Most folks would’ve Continue reading How to Restore Vintage Cast Iron Pans
I remember standing in a massive industrial shop back in ’84, watching a kid spend three hours trying to find the “perfect” precision-machined gadget from a catalog just to fix a simple bracket. He was surrounded by shiny, overpriced junk Continue reading Fundamental Hand Tools for Metalworkers
I remember sitting in my old shop back in ’84, staring at a heavy-duty vise that had been left out in the rain for a season. I’d spent half my paycheck on some fancy, store-bought chemical spray that promised to Continue reading Effective Methods for Removing Rust From Metal
I remember sitting in my old workshop back in ’84, the smell of burnt oil and ozone thick in the air, staring at a rusted-out lathe component that most folks would have tossed straight into the scrap bin. My mentor Continue reading Guide to Restoring Old Metal Objects
I remember standing in a drafty fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young apprentice try to force a bend in a thick piece of mild steel by cranking up the torch way past what the material could take. He Continue reading Essential Metalworking Techniques for Beginners
I remember standing in a fabrication shop back in ’84, watching a young kid try to burn through a thick plate of mild steel with a machine that cost more than his truck. He was convinced that if he just Continue reading Essential Welding Techniques for Beginners
I remember sitting in my first fabrication shop back in the late seventies, the air thick with the smell of ozone and burnt steel, listening to the high-pitched scream of a heavy-duty angle grinder biting into a fresh plate of Continue reading Using an Angle Grinder for Metalwork
I remember sitting on a grease-stained stool in my first shop back in ’78, staring at a seized-up vise that looked more like a pile of orange dust than a tool. I had spent my last few dollars on some Continue reading Methods for Removing Rust From Old Metal
I remember standing in my first apprenticeship shop back in the late seventies, the air thick with the smell of coal smoke and scorched scale. I watched an old-timer take a piece of scrap and turn it into something beautiful, Continue reading Fundamentals of Steel Forging